Dec 1 (Island) SL arrived in South Africa brimming with hope, like a ship setting sail on calm waters. With three overseas Test wins under their belt this year and a pre-series camp to acclimatize to the bouncy tracks in South Africa, they seemed ready for the challenge. But in one calamitous hour, all that preparation went up in smoke, derailing their World Test Championship campaign. They can still come back, but this was an opportunity missed. Durban had been a fortress of sorts for SL. more..

Dec 1 (Island) In early November this year, following the appointment of a new president, many headlines were grabbed by news of the recall to Colombo of 16 heads of SL missions overseas including ambassadors and high commissioners appointed outside the professional service for political and other reasons totally unrelated to the national interest. Among them were two high commissioners to India and Australia, who were retired members of SL Overseas Service reappointed on contract more..

Dec 1 (CI) South Africa have moved to second place on the World Test Championship (WTC) table after a 233-run victory over SL in Durban to break the visitors' unbeaten record at the venue. Marco Jansen finished with 11 wickets in the game with 4 for 73 in the second innings. After setting SL a target of 516 and taking five wickets on the third evening, SA may have expected play on the fourth day to be nothing more than a formality. more..

Dec 1 (Island) In his address to parliament last Thursday, president Anura Kumara Dissanayake called for a political culture free of racism and divisiveness. He said that democracy does not mean forcing everyone to unite under a single umbrella, but rather letting diverse viewpoints and ethnic interests flourish against the backdrop of multi-party politics. “We do not advocate for one-party rule,” he declared. “It is the responsibility of our govt to represent and address the needs and more..

Dec 1 (ST) The ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League is facing significant scrutiny amid concerns about potential spot-fixing, particularly involving unusual front-foot no-balls. Sources report that the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has launched an investigation to determine if any foul play has occurred in the 10-team tournament, sparked by a series of suspicious front-foot no-balls. On the night of Nov 22, UAE seamer Hazrat Bilal, playing for the Morrisville Samp Army, overstepped more..

Dec 1 (ST) My dear Velupillai, I am writing to you this week even though you are in the Land of Never Return, because your name is being mentioned frequently these days as your birthday is remembered. It is hard to imagine that it is 15 long years since you were gone – or that you would be 70 years had you been around now! Isn’t it strange that only your birthday is being talked about this year? There was a time when Mahinda maama’s birthday in Nov was celebrated with much fanfare. more..

Dec 1 (ST) The President’s address at the opening of the 10th Parliament was wide-ranging and well-meaning, if naturally an aspirational roadmap of his fledgling Government. Even though his near hour-long speech might have gone on for longer, there were two important issues he missed out on; (i) the future of the Executive Presidency, and (ii) his Govet’s foreign policy direction. These cannot be unimportant issues, because the ruling JVP/NPP election manifesto refers to them. more..

Dec 1 (ST) Last week, when PM arini Amarasuriya, Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath, and JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, together with other members of the NPP, were spotted attending a tribute concert for the world-renowned Swedish music group ABBA, social media posts made some adverse—and perverse—comments about their attendance. In response to the criticism, Minister Herath addressed the controversy after more..

Dec 1 (CT) The ongoing debate surrounding the reactivation of SL’s Parate Law underscores the complex balance between safeguarding banking stability and supporting struggling enterprises. With its suspension set to expire on 15 Dec 2024, the issue has drawn fervent arguments from both financial institutions and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, reflecting a clash of economic priorities during turbulent times. The Parate Law, a mechanism enabling banks to more..

Dec 1 (TM) Among the current political debates, one that appears to take precedence is the one about time. Time as in that which is allowed for the new regime to get its act together and deliver on its commitments. While the commitments made are many, complex, and understandably not that easy to deliver, there appears to be universal agreement that while most of them will indeed take time to be worked on, it is not so with regard to one specific aspect. more..

Dec 1 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his Govt – which seems to be slowly but steadily learning the intricacies of governance, especially in relation to the balancing of politics, economics, and policies – will witness the debating of its policies as well as present a three-month Vote on Account to the House this coming week. Following the completion of the third review of the IMF and taking the debt restructuring process more..

Dec 1 (CT) If Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake‘s (AKD) inaugural Policy Statement ten days ago was mellifluous in its delivery, it was also meticulous in detail, and sweeping in its themes and vistas. He literally spoke with words and numbers effortlessly flowing, but without notes or the help of the teleprompter even though he had the text in front of him. It was not soaring oratory but captivating eloquence. More like NM Perera in English; and Bernard Soysa, given the pirivena roots more..

Dec 1 (SO) AIDS/HIV caught everyone by surprise nearly four decades ago. Since then, 42 million people worldwide have succumbed to complications arising from AIDS, out of around 88 million infected persons. There are around 40 million people living with HIV worldwide. According to the latest reports, Sri Lanka has experienced a drastic surge in HIV/AIDS cases during the second half of 2024, marking the highest number of cases logged in a single quarter since 2009. more..